


The One With Emma & Killian's Fancy Party

by BlackWidowNat



Series: The One Where... [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan January Joy 2020 (Once Upon a Time), F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:36:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22285873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackWidowNat/pseuds/BlackWidowNat
Summary: Based on a prompt I probably found on Tumblr that I tweaked a little. But honestly, I don't remember:Person A knows Person B loves to read so they decide to give them a book. At the end of each chapter, Person A puts a sticky note with one thing they love about B so that Person B is inspired to finish a chapter each day. After the last chapter, Person B is about to close the book when they see the bright pink corner of the last sticky note. They smile expecting another "you're beautiful" or "your smile is the best thing to ever happen to me" note but instead, they read four simple but beautiful words: "Will you marry me?"
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Series: The One Where... [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/345485
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	The One With Emma & Killian's Fancy Party

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I want to thank the organizers of CS January Joy for putting this together & letting me participate.
> 
> Secondly, I want to thank my betas: Stephanie (ThisOneSatellite) for all the help she gave me in working on this story. She was the best! Courtney, my BFF, who always reads my work and lets me know what's up and helped me flesh out a couple things on this story. She is also the BESTEST! Love ya boo.  
These two wonderful ladies are my biggest cheerleaders.
> 
> Lastly, I want to thank my dog...mostly because I love him the most and he is the greatest presence in my life.

** The One With Emma & Killian’s Fancy Party **

Emma did not like many things. In fact, she hated most things. Being abandoned on the side of the road in the middle of October in Maine a few weeks after birth by one’s parents will do that.

She hadn’t always been that way. When Emma was 17, she’d run from her last group home and found _him_. Neal was everything to her and the first person to show her what she _thought_ was love. Then he’d left her, like her parents. He left her pregnant and holding stolen merchandise. Then, a few months into her 11-month sentence, Emma lost her baby. Her anger for Neal grew to insurmountable heights.

So when she met Killian Jones and his weirdly overactive eyebrows, Emma told him (and herself) that she was _not_ going to fall for his charms.

How wrong she was.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Try as she did, Emma failed, and after a year, they moved in together and for a while, all Emma could do was wait. Wait for him to realize she was too much work and leave. Wait for him to realize her insecurities would really never go away and leave because of that too.

But he never did. And a year after they moved in together, Emma finally realized that when Killian said he was in it for the long haul, he meant it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Emma, love! Have you seen my favorite tie?” Killian called from their bedroom.

“I swear Killian…” Emma came in and went to the closet, digging in the far corner. After finding her quarry, she turned in triumph and tossed him a navy tie with white and red anchors all over it. “If you head wasn’t attached to your neck, you’d probably lose track of that too.”

“Aye, but you love me anyways.”

“Maybe”, she replied with a wink as she headed back to her office.

“Are you going back to hide away and work on my birthday present?” 

“Maybe”, Emma said again.

“Alright then, keep your secrets. I am off to heal the young children of Storybrooke. I’ll see you tonight my love.” Killian turned to leave, but Emma stopped him.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked, crooking her finger at him. Killian laughed and leaned on her desk. Emma reached up and grabbed his tie, pulling him down for a kiss. “I love you, Killian.”

“I love you too, my Swan.” He gave her another quick peck and left. Emma smiled as she watched Killian walked away, feeling so proud of him. 

When she and Killian had met, he had been working at Storybrooke General Hospital as a member of the pediatrics department and were set up (oh so shadily, Emma liked to say) by the Sheriff’s wife. Mary Margaret Nolan wanted everyone to be happy and in love, just like her and David. 

Emma shook her head of the wonderful memories of her time with Killian and turned back to her computer, opening the manuscript for _The Savior and The Privateer_. The series, which was set in a land called the Enchanted Forest where fairytales were real, followed the adventures of The Savior, who was on a quest to break a curse cast by an evil witch that had plagued her home for many years.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A couple of days into the new year, Emma surprised Killian with dinner.

“This is wonderful darling! Thank you!” He leaned over the table and gave her a kiss. “However, my birthday isn’t for another few weeks…”

“I know, but I did something special for your birthday this year”, Emma replied.

“Can I see it? Please love!”

“No!” Emma laughed at his childlike enthusiasm when it came to things like presents. “You have to wait until _after_ dinner.”

“Swaaaan…”

“No. Eat first, presents later.”

They chatted throughout their meal and Emma couldn’t help but laugh when she noticed that Killian ate more quickly than he usually did. When finished, to mess with him, Emma had Killian do the clean-up.

“I’m done! How about now love?”

“Okay.” Emma had him take a seat on the couch and close his eyes. “No peeking!”

Killian’s eye popped open when she dropped the box in hands and he immediately ripped the paper and box top off to reveal a stack of papers. 

“_The Savior and the Privateer_? Emma, love, is this your latest novel? You said you weren’t going to let me read it before everyone else! It does seem--”

“It’s just the first chapter and I know. But after thinking about it, I changed my mind. I think I’d like to know what _you_ think before my editor gets her hands on it.”

“Regina means well my love. She just wants the best possible outcome for you.”

“I know, but that red ink she does her editing in...oof, I get why people like to call her the Evil Queen.”

“Wouldn’t it be the most humorous thing for those people to know she’s actually the absolute nicest? And funny at that?”

“Very.” Emma sighed. “So! Give the chapter a look. Right now, the book is sitting at 15. When you finish one chapter, I’ll give you the next. Cool?”

“Very cool.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

_A few days later_…

Killian carried the manuscript for Emma’s novel in his briefcase in the days after she gave it to him. He was anxious to get to reading it, but work was busy, and he hadn’t yet had a chance. So, when the weekend rolled around, he poured himself some rum and sat down to read.

When he finished the first chapter, there was neon yellow sticky note on the last page and it held a loving message:

_“I feel like everything in my life has led me to you. My choices, my heartbreaks, my regrets. Everything. And when we’re together, my past seems worth it. Because if I had done one thing differently, I might never have met you. -Unknown”_

_A long time ago, I wasn’t good with words...I didn’t have the right ones. So, I’m going to tell you how much I love you with other people’s words. Like Big in the _Sex & the City _movie (which I know you hated watching with me, but hey...you love me)._

_I love you Killian Jones._

Killian smiled and peeled the sticky note from the last page and went to the office and stuck it on the wall.

“I see you finished the chapter.” Killian found Emma leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a big smile on her face. In that moment, he couldn’t not think of a time when he hadn’t loved her. Try as she did to dissuade him from pursuing her, he wouldn’t. Killian recognized the same sense of loss and loneliness in her that he carried with him. Emma’s strength in the face of everything life threw at her was what made him love her even more. She didn’t take his crap and she took no one’s crap, and she wouldn’t change for anyone, not even him. He loved her just the way she was.

“I did, my love, and it was remarkable.” Killian walked over and pulled her into his arms, laying a soft kiss on her head.

“Thanks for remarking on it.” Emma leaned away with a sly smile. “Do you want to read some more?”

“Yes!” He watched as Emma went to her desk and unlocked a bottom drawer, pulled out Chapter 2 and handed it over to him. Killian kissed Emma on the cheek. “Thanks love. I’ll leave you to yourself, because I _need _to know what happens.”

“Have fun then. I have to go take care of a few things.” Killian looked up from his spot on the couch. Something was off. He could always tell when something wasn’t going right with his Swan.

“Is everything okay Emma?”

“Yeah! Yeah.” The fact that her voice went up several octaves did nothing to quell his thoughts.

“Emm-”

“Everything’s fine Killian. With the way the flu is going around, I’m just worried. You know I hate getting sick. I’m just going to go to Dark Star Pharmacy for a flu shot. So don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll always worry about you Emma. I love you.”

“I love you too. Enjoy your reading.” Killian watched her as she left, knowing that there was something she wasn’t telling him. He wouldn’t push, Emma would tell him when she was ready.

Killian was on the last couple of pages when his love returned. Something had happened the hours she was gone because when she returned, Emma glowed as if she’d had a weight lifted off her shoulders.

“Hello love! How was it? Does your boo-boo need a kiss?” he asked cheekily.

“Tonight.” She winked and took a seat next to him, kicking her now socked feet up onto the coffee table. “So, what’d you think of this chapter?”

“Well, I’ve not finished yet. Just some pages to go.”

“Finish up then! I need to know.”

“Of course my darling.”

Killian went back to the page he was at and read on. This time when he was done, there was a neon pink sticky note that read:

_“You find somebody you like and roll the dice. That’s all anybody can do. -Ron Swanson”_

_You inspire me every single day Killian. When I rolled the dice on _you_, I got a Nat 20._

Killian laughed to himself at Emma’s talk of dice. No one would know his Swan was a diehard fan of Dungeons & Dragons fan. He himself had never played, but started learning from Will Scarlett, a nurse at the hospital, so he could share in something she enjoyed.

“So, did you like it?” the woman in question asked from her spot at the end of the couch.

“Of course I did Emma. Have you got the next one ready?” She giggled, her entire face lighting up with happiness which, in turn, made Killian happy.

As her phone rang, Emma handed over chapter 3.

“Enjoy while I take this.”

“Thank you darling.” He watched as Emma went into the office and shut the door. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

_“I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you’re always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. -Katarina Stratford, 10 Things I Hate About You”_

_Sometimes I felt like Kat did, because I saw so much of myself in her: angry at the world because of what some asshole did to me. It’s why I was so mad at myself when I met you. I was mad that you were so perfect for me. I was mad how good of a person you were. I was mad that you were proving me wrong. I was mad that you basically kicked down the walls around my heart like they were a flimsy door._

~*~*~*~*~*~

It went on like this for every chapter. 

For every chapter Killian finished, there were neon colored sticky notes at the end with quotes from some of Emma’s favorite movies or books or whatever, and little notes from her too. Killian kept them all, adding each new note to his colorful collage.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The day before his birthday, Killian was in the kitchen when Emma found him. He smiled at her over his favorite mug inscribed with **LIKE A BOSS** on the front, noticing she was hiding something behind her back.

“What have you got there Swan?” 

“Oh nothing. Just the final chapter in the main story”, she said and pulled the stack of papers from behind her back.

“This is the last?”

“No, actually.” Emma slid the chapter into Killian’s black leather briefcase and snapped it shut. “There’s going to be an epilogue. **But** you aren’t getting it until tomorrow. It’s your birthday present.”

“I thought the whole book was my birthday present?” Killian rinsed his mug and slipped on his suit jacket, taking the briefcase from Emma.

“The epilogue is..._special_.”

“Uh huh.” Killian gave her a deep kiss and pulled back to leave. “Like I said before, keep your secrets. I can’t wait to read this chapter. See you tonight my love.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

_“When did I fall so deeply under your spell, _[Killian]_? I cannot fix the hour or the spot or the look or the words which lay the foundation. I was in the middle before I knew it began. -Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies_

_“The very first moment I beheld you, my heart was irrevocably gone. -Lizzie, PPZ”_

_Remember when I told you ‘I love you’ for the first time? How you asked what was wrong because all of a sudden, in the middle of wrapping some birthday presents for David, I just drop the scissors on the floor and yelled ‘Fuck!’? That moment. That moment made me realize that I basically loved you from the beginning but I was all the way in before it had even hit me. I love you Killian._

Killian never meant to cry into his lunch, but he did. And when he got home that night, he made sure to let Emma know how loved she was.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma was happy that Killian chose to work a half day on his birthday. He met up with her, Mary Margaret, and David for lunch, but it grew to include Will, Robin and Regina, Tina and Jefferson, Ruby, Archie, and Belle, who had wanted to surprise Killian and rounded up his and Emma’s friends.

They spent the afternoon eating, laughing, and telling stories at Killian’s expense. Emma hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time, and she was happy to see boyfriend happy. The feeling of when the shoe might drop had gone away for good and she knew everything was going to be okay.

Later that night, when they returned home, Emma went straight to her file cabinet and pulled out the epilogue. Killian hung his jacket on the rack near the door and went to pour himself some rum.

“Here. I’m going to change into some PJs. It’s pretty short, so you’ll probably be finished by the time I’m done. Enjoy...and happy birthday.”

“Thank you love.” Emma hurried (but not obviously, she hoped) back to their bedroom and dug around their closet, where she hid the ring she intended to propose with.

Emma took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do when she heard Killian’s footsteps heading towards the bedroom. When she emerged from the closet, Killian was standing in the doorway, staring at her and holding the final Post-It plus something special.

“Did you like it?” Emma took a seat at the end of their bed. She looked down at the ring in her lap, worrying. She knew he loved her but what if _this_ was what he thought was too much. It’s not something she ever would’ve predicted.

Killian knelt in front of her, sticking it to her knee. Emma didn’t have to look down to know what it said:

_"I guess I kind of hate most things. But I never really seem to hate you. So I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Is that cool? -April’s vows to Andy”_

_I know you think it should’ve been you to propose, but guess what old man? It’s 2020 now. ;-)_

_Don’t be sad you didn’t do it first. Be happy instead. Happy that we’re going to be a family._

_I love you so much Killian. _

“Emma? What is this?” Killian handed her a small, grainy picture. In it, what looked like a small kidney bean just floated in the middle. “Is it what I’m hoping?”

Emma took the picture from him and wiped the tears she saw skipping down his cheeks.

“This”, she held up the picture, “...is your son...or your daughter. I can honestly say that I don’t really have a preference. How about you?”

“You’re pregnant?

“That’s what the picture means, yeah.”

“Is this why you went to see Whale?”

“Yup.” He hadn’t shown any kind of reaction, positive or negative, and she was a little worried. Kids weren’t something they had talked about. Emma hadn’t known that she wanted to get married, much less have a kid, but now that she knew she was pregnant, she was already in love.

“How long?” Killian was staring at her midsection.

“He said about six weeks.” They were both quiet as Killian started to cry in earnest.

“This is the greatest birthday gift I’ve ever had.”

“You never answered me you know.”

“What?”

“I asked you to marry me and you never answered.”

“Isn’t it obvious Swan?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma and Killian got married some months later. They tied the knot at Village by the Sea in nearby Wells, Maine. Emma in blushing pink ankle length gown that proudly showed off her five months’ pregnant belly and Killian in a dark navy suit with his favorite tie.

Meera Alice Jones was born in early August on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Bright blue eyes and tufts of dark hair, just like her father. Meera’s brother, however, was just like their mother. Oliver David Jones came into the world 16 minutes after his sister, sharp green eyes and wisps of blonde.

There was always love in their family. Were they a perfect family with no problems or arguments or anything like that? No. Far from it. But the point is, even with those arguments and stress and everything else…they were happy, for as long as they lived.


End file.
